On December 11th 2015, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will officially publish a rule which will require truck drivers to convert from paper logs to electronic logs.
According to the FMCSA, the ruling will save the industry nearly $1 billion per year and will “save 26 lives and 562 injuries.”
Drivers will have two years from the date of publication to switch to electronic logging devices (ELDs), and must be in compliance by December 11, 2017.
One big exception, however, is that drivers of vehicles built before the year 2000 are not required to follow the new rule.
All ELDs must be synced with the vehicle’s engine and be able to record when it was started and shut off.
In addition, the devices must be able to transfer the data on-demand in the event of a roadside inspection. Acceptable methods of data transfer include USB wire, Bluetooth, email or web based services.
Once the published law goes into effect, drivers who are required to use ELDs will not have to keep paper logs. Supporting documents, such as bills of lading, schedules, and dispatch records, must still be kept on hand.